By Sheikh Nasir Hussain, NAK
Kishtwar : Assistant District Magistrate Kishtwar and an officer of BECON were manhandled and their vehicle was damaged by an angry mob protesting against the damage to a historical temple at Bindraban on Kishtwar-Chatroo National Highway, this morning.
Reports said that activists of Sanatham Dharam Sabha and Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) today staged a protest demonstration against the GRIEF authorities at Bindraban, about 10 kilometers from here, this morning.
Raising slogans against the local administration and GRIEF authorities, the protestors blocked the vehicular movement on Kishtwar-Chatroo National Highway. Sources told News Agency of Kashmir that the mob was protesting against the damage of a historical temple due to the alleged blasting of rocks by the GRIF authorities, who have taken up widening work of the highway.
It was reliably leant that a big rock near the temple was blasted on Tuesday which led to some damage to the temple. The GRIEF authorities, who had reportedly agreed about five years back to repair the temple in the event of any loss, were approached to started repair work.
“However, instead of meeting to the terms and condition of the agreement the GRIEF authorities left four bags of sand and one bag of cement on the spot and asked the temple management to repair it”, BJP leader Sunil Sharma told NAK.
As the reports of the protest reached Kishtwar, Additional District Magistrate Rajesh Shravan alongwith 2 OC GRIEF went on the spot to pacify the situation.
However, the GRIEF official reportedly entered into a verbal duel with some protestors. The mob reportedly went on rampage and manhandled the ADM and the GRIEF officer.
As the officers were wished away by the police accompanying them, the mob reportedly targeted the official vehicle of the GRIEF official. The vehicle was damaged in the stone pelting, reports added.
Later in the afternoon Additional Deputy Commissioner Riyaz Ahmed Zargar went on the spot and pacified the mob.
“We have given one week time to the GRIEF authorities to repair the temple building failing which we will intensify our agitation”, a protestor Akshay Sharma said.